Oregon State Correctional Institution. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)
People incarcerated in Oregon’s prisons will now have priority access to Covid vaccinations under a federal judge’s ruling.
U.S. District Court of Oregon Judge Stacie Beckerman ruled on Tuesday, Feb. 3 that denying incarcerated individuals the vaccine violated the U.S. Constitution’s prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment.
“Our constitutional rights are not suspended during a crisis,” Beckerman wrote in her ruling.
The ruling was in response to a lawsuit brought by the civil rights group Oregon Justice Resource Center and other attorneys on behalf of seven Oregon prisoners.
Prisons in Oregon and elsewhere have struggled to contain the virus. In Oregon, 3,392 prisoners have tested positive for the virus. The state Department of Corrections has confirmed the deaths of 42 incarcerated individuals who had tested positive for the virus.
With a limited supply of doses, the state has been offering the vaccination to priority groups in phases. Under the judge’s ruling, prisoners will be in the state’s phase 1a, group 2, which includes health care providers, people in long-term care facilities and others.
State agencies haven’t released details on a vaccination plan in response to the ruling.
-Jake Thomas
